Palmeiras defender Lúcio apologises to Cruzeiro’s Manoel

By Chris Westwood 2014-07-21 16:06:00 20140721

The defender made over 100 appearances for the national side - Action Images

Lúcio suffered a fractured cheekbone in Palmeiras’ clash with Cruzeiro at the Pacaembu on Sunday. In the immediate aftermath of the incident, the furious former Inter Milan star accused Manoel of deliberately trying to injure him, but has since retracted this statement.

Following Sunday’s Brasileirão clash, the Palmeiras captain posted a photo to his Instagram account showing his face with visible bruising under the eye. In the text accompanying the photo, Lúcio accused Manoel of being a ‘coward’ and intentionally trying to elbow him.

Since then, however, Lúcio has returned to social media to apologise for his earlier comments.

“I’d like to apologise to Manoel about what occurred in the game yesterday. I was shocked and sad and ended up making a mistake by calling him a coward. It was a normal incident and I realise I made a mistake. I’d like to apologise for this. I left hospital late and didn’t see a replay until much later. Good luck and god bless you and congratulations on the win,” wrote the 36-year-old.

The former Seleção defender will not be able to face Avaí on Wednesday although Palmeiras are yet to give a definitive return date.